Business and Pleasure
by Sefilin
Summary: Vermouth organises a meeting with Gin. Romance with a ???


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Business and Pleasure  
A Meitantei Conan Fic  
By Sefilin  
  
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Disclaimers: Meitantei Conan copyright Aoyama Goushou, Shounen Sunday comics,   
Terebi and Shogakukan Video  
  
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Prelude to a different, as-yet-unnamed and unwritten fic  
  
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A wet sheen covered the street, the glow of neon lights reflected in small   
puddles and cracks full of water. The few people still wandering around in the damp   
darkness carried umbrellas, some still needlessly unfurled.  
  
The car purred through the night, moving past the muffled noise of the shops   
and, later, the shadowed recesses of rice fields. A few copses of trees flared   
upwards before disappearing back into the night and grey, moon-illuminated clouds   
drifted across the black, velvet sky.  
  
A blue sign, lit by the car's headlights, reflective words jumping out at the   
occupants.  
  
"There it is, Aniki."  
  
The car turned smoothly, strong hands guiding it around the corner and onto a   
narrower road. There were more trees now, an indistinct silhouette always in view.  
  
One hand left the steering wheel, moving down and digging into a deep pocket   
before emerging with a cigarette and lighter. The window rolled down and the still-  
glowing butt was spat out, seconds before the new one appeared between tight lips.   
There was a sudden flare of blue and orange flames and the cigarette caught. A   
breath was drawn in and a thin column of smoke began to rise.  
  
Cold, green eyes flickered sideways, "Tell me again, why does she want to meet   
us out here?"  
  
The stockier form next to him shrugged, "She just said to meet her there."   
Sunglasses, that had to be more a hindrance than a help in the lack of light, turned   
back to the darkness just outside the window, hand reaching automatically to the   
radio.  
  
A longer, leaner hand caught his on the volume dial and threw it away with a   
small force, letting him know that this was unacceptable. The shorter form accepted   
the silent edict with complacency and slid down a little in his seat.  
  
They drove for a while longer and finally pulled the car up to a medium-sized   
wooden building. Gin shifted the car into neutral, cranked on the handbrake and the   
wide stream of light from the headlights flashed off with a flick of his wrist.  
  
"We're here."  
  
Ignoring Vodka's statement of the blatently obvious, Gin unfolded himself from   
the car and paused next to it, gazing at the lights blazing from the building and   
illuminating the carpark with it's handful of cars. He removed the cigarette from   
between his teeth and blew out a cloud of smoke.  
  
He was still rather curious about why Vermouth had asked the two of them to   
meet her here, out in the middle of nowhere. He was sure he would know, if he'd   
taken the call, but Vodka had had that dubious pleasure amd he was completely out of   
his league when it came to the American blonde. So, all Vodka had been able to tell   
him, apart from the message itself, which was brief and ambiguous and likely   
deliberately so, was that _he_ thought it sounded important. Gin had doubts, as he   
always did with Vermouth.  
  
Replacing the thin cancer stick, he began walking forwards, noting Vodka's   
presence at his side.  
  
The automatic doors slid smoothly open in front of him and he approached the   
desk, with it's smiling receptionist; a middle-aged Japanese woman with artificially   
brown hair cut short.  
  
"Irrashaimase. Welcome to Suika Onsen."  
  
Gin's lip curled imperceptibly as he glanced around the cheerfully lit room,   
"We're here to meet Chris Vineyard." He bought his eyes back to the receptionist   
and was satisfied when her smile dimmed somewhat.   
  
"Kurisu Binyaado?" She glanced down at the book spread out in front of her,   
"Your names?"  
  
"Gin."  
  
The woman's now-impassive face looked at him for a short second, "Of course,   
Jin-san. Please, come this way."  
  
He followed the woman, Vodka trailing behind, his inner frustration building   
as his suspiscions continued to gather and rise. Vodka was apologetically directed   
to a changing room and went willingly enough after an uninformative glance at Gin's   
stone-like face.   
  
Yet more evidence to fuel his suspiscions.  
  
He himself was drawn further forward, past the entrance to the communal baths   
and was waved into a small private changing room.  
  
The helpful assistant showed him where the towels were, indicated where   
clothes could be left and removed herself from the room after clearing her throat   
and pointing to a no smoking sign. Gin snorted disdainfully, but chose to leave his   
cigarette in the ashtray near the door.  
  
Then he headed for the door that led to to the hot spring itself and took a   
few strides in before stopping. Warm steam swirled in eddies around him, caressing   
the small area of exposed skin on his face and he found breathing ever so slightly   
more difficult. He glanced around, ignoring the minor discomforts, and finally   
spotted Vermouth in the water, only her head and shoulders exposed.  
  
She was moving towards him with her fine blonde hair twisted up on top of her   
head, small damp tendrils trailing down her neck and the oh-so-familiar smug smile   
on her face.  
  
She reached the edge of the pool, pulling herself languidly out of the water.   
Her towel, saturated, clung to her snuggly as she crossed the final distance between   
them.  
  
"You came."  
  
Instead of rolling his eyes at the second statement of the obvious within ten   
minutes, his eyes became flatter than previously, and his question was abrupt, "What   
did you want to tell me?"  
  
The blonde's lips quirked upwards as she gazed at him for a moment in silence,   
"You're still dressed, Gin. Why don't you get changed and join me?"  
  
His eyes flickered back to the gently steaming water before dismissing it,   
"Just tell me so I can leave."  
  
Vermouth pursed her lips consideringly and Gin could almost see the gears   
turning in her mind. He braced himself.  
  
"Join me and I will," her voice was a purr, seductive and persuasive in the   
way it was when she wanted something. But Gin had no interest in playing another   
game not of his own making.  
  
"I don't think so."   
  
Vermouth backed off a step, pausing again at the edge of the pool, one hip   
thrust a little to the side. The quirky smile that screamed of secret knowledge   
remained firmly fixed on her face, "Suit yourself. But aren't you the _least_ bit   
curious?"   
  
Managing to avoid clenching his jaw, Gin stared at her, debating the pros and   
cons of doing as she asked. She was compentent, no matter how eccentric, and could   
offer up the most useful pieces of information when it suited her. On the other   
hand, he could never be sure what she'd demand in payment - whether or not she felt   
joining her in the onsen would be enough. That was, of course, if she chose to tell   
him anything at all.  
  
There was also the fact that it was an _onsen_.  
  
Vermouth entered the pool again, tilting her head back with a pleased sigh and   
drifted away, "A pity. I have information about one of your little hobbies, too."  
  
The slight stress on the word 'hobbies' was enough to make him walk out the   
door.  
  
  
Vermouth smiled as she watched Gin's dark-clad, well-shrouded figure leave the   
room. Her fingers danced gently through the heavenly warm water and continued to   
gaze steadily at the door, waiting for the man to admit defeat as he so often had to   
and absolutely hated. Her smile deepened, as, sure enough, he walked back through   
the door minutes later dressed in nothing but a towel and a scowl.  
  
"This had better be good," he bit out as he paused at the side of the pool,   
catching her eyes. The intensity of his gaze increased, sending an excited shiver   
up her spine. Green eyes, usually so cold, were burning now, almost-concealed anger   
and annoyance warming them to a clearer emerald.  
  
He set one foot in the water.  
  
"Aren't you going to tie up your hair? It's bad manners to leave it down."  
  
Gin didn't so much as pause, lowering himself until he was sitting on the rock   
ledge, shoulders magnificently bare and long blonde hair beginning to pool around   
him in the water. A few faint scars ran acrss his torso, but no matter how much she   
bugged him, he refused to tell her where he'd managed to pick them up. Which made   
her all the more determined to get him to tell her.  
  
And in the meantime, she'd settle for annoying him as much as possible. After   
all, 'no man is an island' and all that and she was sure she could classify as a   
bridge of land, thereby making him a peninsula instead. She smirked at the image,   
drifting a little closer to the other blonde, the water caressing her arms as they   
wove gently to and fro. Seductive ripples advanced before her and she followed   
their movement to the blonde before her, watching them lap delicately at his skin   
before lifting her eyes. She met his fierce eyes with her own and smiled. This had   
been a wonderful idea.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Hmm?" she allowed her mouth to curl upwards in the small amused smile that   
occassionally managed to get a rise - of sorts - from him. "What?"  
  
The eyes went completely flat, "You had something to tell me."  
  
"I did?"  
  
A violent movement underwater resulted in a small volcano of water, that   
settled unhappily as she laughed low in her throat. His eyes narrowed as she lifted   
a hand and waved it languidly, "Oh yes, I did, didn't I?"  
  
She drifted even closer, her eyelids falling to halfmast, "But, Gin, really!   
Business before pleasure? I much prefer them the other way around."  
  
"I wasn't aware there was a difference, in your perception," Gin had suddenly   
relaxed into the game and seemed as willing to play as he always did - which wasn't   
very. But at least he was loosening up a little.  
  
"That's true," she laughed again. "Then let's dispense with one in favour of   
the other, hmm?"  
  
She closed the remaining distance between them, kneeling on the ledge over him   
and settling herself in his lap as she slid her arms around his neck. Her lips   
settled close to his ear, moving against it as she spoke, "So, is there anything fun   
you can think of to do?"  
  
Eyebrows rose in faint, mocking surprise, and he murmured, "I believed you   
prided yourself on knowing me and you don't know that?"  
  
Her laugh was almost inaudible, "Should I have specified? To do _here_."  
  
Large hands settled against her waist, sliding lower as he drew her into   
contact with his towel, "I don't know if fun's the word I'd use for what you have in   
mind."  
  
Lips hovering against his, she paused, "But what else would you call it?"  
  
And neither of them said anything for a while.  
  
  
Gin briefly considered brushing Vermouth's fingers away from his hair, but it   
felt as nice as it did annoying. He allowed them to continue their stroking as he   
listened to his heartbeat, steady again, and the soft breathing of the woman lying   
against him. Her other hand was resting lightly against his chest, stroking up and   
down one of the scars there and he wondered, a little amused, how long it would be   
before she attempted to find out how he got it. Again.  
  
But, instead she leaned closer and began to whisper in his ear, digging her   
fingernails into his skin to force him to remain in place. A wise precaution.  
  
He forced himself to relax again, finding it easier after the physical   
exertion of earlier than maybe he otherwise would have. And he smirked.  
  
Coming had been a good idea, despite his doubts. This information was worth a   
lot more than a trip to an onsen and he would be sure to make use of it.   
  
===Owari===  
  
onsen: hot spring  
Aniki: older brother, casually 


End file.
